DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s crackdown on prescription painkillers is pushing more abusers to heroin, spurring a deadly new wave of addictions that experts say has reached epidemic proportions. The Des Moines Register reports that although heroin still lags far behind marijuana, methamphetamine and painkillers as Iowa’s drug of choice, its use is climbing quickly — with deadly results.

Experts say the heroin epidemic, which is a growing problem nationwide, is largely spurred by people who first become addicted to prescribed opiate pain medication. As the pills become more expensive and harder to obtain, people move on to heroin, which is cheaper and provides a more potent high.

Mike Polich of United Community Services in Des Moines says heroin is coming to the city from places like Chicago, Omaha and Texas.